Stayed 2 nights here after a cruise and I have to say in terms of location and rooms this hotel can't be beaten. We checked in early and were shown straight to our 2nd floor room with fabulous views over the pretty beach and ocean. The rooms are expertly laid out and have everything you need. We walked along the beach and snorkelled with the turtles which is organised by the hotel if needed - best to do this as our guide fed the turtles and it was like having a private swim with them rather than being in a party of 20 or so on a trip.

We walked along the beach to have dinner at the lone star restaurant which was excellent as I am sorry to say that the hotel food is a little pretentious for our tastes and not worth the prices charged. Indeed, the lone star was cheaper for dinner than the hotel and way way better. There is also a daytime beach bar called juju which does the best fish n chips ever.

Afternoon tea is served complimentary and is a nice touch. Overall the hotel has great standards and we will revisit every time we come to Barbados - just need them to review their food offering and quality

Oh, nearly forgot to mention - no kids at this time of year is a real plus point for us as we stayed at the Hilton before the cruise and it was overrun by the little darlings but that's another review!

Service is slow but we are in paradise after all.

Stayed here in May 2010 (pre upgrade) and Nov 2011 (post upgrade) and on both stays on the whole the staff couldn't be nicer. Yes one small glitch but get to that later.

Location just 5 mins from Holetown by taxi or bus (do try the local boogie bus only 2 bajan dollar it's fun and an experience).

Rooms: We booked a ocean view room (they all are except for the villa) stunning views. A well laid out room well kept and very clean. Bathrooms were not refurbished but no problems as it had both large bath and a walkin shower. The feature of the room is the balcony with its glass frontage table 2 chairs and 2 loungers, perfect for a G&T of an evening.

Beach - Fantastic great for swimming with a seated platform moored further out so you can have a rest, do spot of sunbathing before swimming back to the beach.

Dining In Breakfast is well laid out and plentiful lite dinners or dinner at the beach front restaurant were great. More formal dining in the Palm Restaurant where the service was a bit more of a hit and a miss (my one glitch). Tip get room service at least once and dine on the balcony (we had lunch it was superb)

Pool well maintained the grounds have been upgraded very comfortable loungers and get the pool attendants to book your favourite place. They look after you. Also both beach and pool they would come round with a cold flannel during the day and either an ice lolly or a slush sorbet to cool you down.

Dining Out Plenty of options, Expensive to reasonable. Lonestar is 5 mins walk along the beach but personally I found them a little arrogant as if they knew they had a 'captured' market. Loved Tides and the Beach House in Holetown and dined at Cin Cin very modern and minimalist. Lost the atmosphere of Calabaza as it once was.

Hotel, would I go again yes but is pricey for B&B but you pay for location and the service.

Hope this helps.

We celebrated our 30th anniversary at the Royal Pavilion during May of 2011. We had made some specific requests relating to our celebration that were missed by select members of the staff. That first evening I left a message for the General Manager Wayne Kafcsak about my disappointment with what had not been arranged to my satisfaction. At breakfast the next morning we were asked if we would be willing to speak with Wayne after breakfast. We then met poolside and discussed the matter at length. Wayne was entirely professional and caring about how this very important trip had started out at less than the expected Fairmont level.

The short comings of the previous day were quickly addressed and so completely compensated for that I would describe the recovery as "legendary". I can appreciate that some expectations are not always met but then again if we do not inform those that are able to affect a positive recovery, then how can we expect something better?

So now you might wonder if we would return to the RPV? Yes in February to celebrate an important birthday that I would not want to entrust to any other group of people than the great team at the RPV.

Will it be perfect? I am thinking pretty close!

The hotel is set right on the beach side about and our room had a terrace leading straight on to the sand.
The suite was well furnished and with a large comfortable bed, sofa and chairs, and patio furniture on the deck. Security is an issue on the ground floor level and we were advised not to sleep with the patio doors open and unlocked.
Breakfast was taken in the beach side cafe/bar and was buffet style. It was expensive for the various options and service was chaotic and slow. The staff had not been organised to clear tables when vacated leading to a queue of people waiting to be seated despite there being several empty tables.
A beach side drink ordered from the roaming waiter never materialised. This in fact did us a favour as we ended up walking down the beach to a beach bar nearby where we had drinks for a third of the price in a great atmosphere with a mix of locals and visitors.